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Few of the hundreds of products on the shelf state 'palm oil' on the label

In researching Dying for a Biscuit, Panorama asked the makers of the top selling products containing palm oil and the major supermarket chains about their palm oil use. We also requested information on how they sourced their palm oil and whether or not they participate in the GreenPalm trading scheme, aimed at encouraging growers to produce more sustainable oil.

The company said it is looking into the Green Palm certificate scheme, but "the Green Palm scheme would not guarantee that our products are CSPO (Certified Sustainable Palm Oil) and we would not wish to confuse customers".

Dairy Crest said it is also reviewing its labelling, which currently does not single out palm oil as an ingredient in Clover.

YOUNG'S (FINDUS)

The makers of the Young's Chip Shop range of battered fish products told us it has a plan in place to reduce its reliance on unsustainable palm oil and overall use of the oil.

It identified Crunchy Nut Clusters and Special K with Nut Clusters and Almonds as two products that do contain palm oil.

The company said it supports the GreenPalm trading scheme and said it uses palm oil as part of its efforts to replace hydrogenated vegetable oils, which are trans fats, in response to health and nutritional concerns.

Once sourcing sustainable oil is available "at financially and logistically feasible volume, we will move to sustainable palm oil."

MARS

Mars said it is working towards sourcing 100% sustainable palm oil by 2015 and hopes to achieve 20% of that goal by the end of 2010.

Chicago Town Pizza said none of its palm oil is from a sustainable source, although it said the issue was "high on our agenda as part of a wider company initiative regarding the continuity of supply and volume of raw materials".

PROCTOR & GAMBLE (PRINGLES)

Proctor & Gamble said it is committed to buying only sustainable palm oil by 2015 for its range of products that include beauty and household items including detergents, shampoos, hand and body cleansers, soap and colour cosmetics.

For its European business, Unilever said it plans to establish traceability for its palm oil supply chain by 2012, although not for its palm oil derivatives.

By 2015, the company said it will only buy certified sustainable palm oil, regardless of cost. They added that any extra cost would not be passed on to consumers.

Unilever has recently committed to severing its supply chain links with a major Indonesian palm oil producer that Panorama found to be logging illegally in high conservation value rainforest in Borneo.

WARBURTONS

The breadmaker said palm oil accounts for between 15-20% of the blend of oils used in its products.

The supermarket estimates that around 10% of the palm oil it uses comes from sustainable sources.

It said its strategy is to introduce sustainable sourcing standards to those products that use the greatest volume of palm oil, and to offer sustainable palm oil in the everyday products that customers buy on a regular basis.

The company says it has addressed a substantial proportion of its palm oil footprint since it first began its sustainable palm oil programme in 2008 with basic fish fingers.

ASDA

Asda said any palm oil or palm oil derivatives used in its own label products must be sourced from plantations that are recognised for not endangering vulnerable native forests and their fauna and flora, particularly areas of high conservation value forest or peat lands.

Asda told us it strongly encourages all its suppliers for its own label products to use RSPO (Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil) certified palm oil and palm kernel oil as soon as possible, but at the very latest this must be achieved by January 2013 and January 2015 respectively.

In the meantime, suppliers can use the
GreenPalm
trading certificate system.

Currently, palm oil is found in a variety of its products, including margarines, crisps, ready meals, chocolates, soap, candles and cleaning products.

ALDI

Aldi has already introduced a policy to individually name palm oil in its ingredients list for own label products so that customers know which of its products contain the oil.

A company spokesman said Aldi is "aware of the importance of deriving palm oil from sustainable and responsible sources and are developing a policy that covers this."

The spokesman added that Aldi is reviewing its own label range with a view to finding alternative or sustainable sources and is also developing an on-pack icon to highlight for customers that it contains sustainable palm oil.

TESCO

Tesco told Panorama that most of its palm oil use is found in bakery products, cosmetics, pies, pastries and soaps.

The supermarket giant has publicly committed to using 100% sustainable palm oil by 2015. By 2012, all suppliers to Tesco's own brand products must use palm oil that is 100% traceable as a step towards using only sustainable oil after 2015.

WAITROSE

Waitrose told us that palm oil is used in about 1,000 of the company's own-brand products, representing about 10% of the total range.

It has committed to using 100% sustainable palm oil by the end of 2012. By the end of 2010, it aims to have achieved 25% of that goal and it has committed to singling out palm oil as an ingredient on it own label products.

The CO-OPERATIVE

The Co-operative said that as of January this year, 16 of its own brand products are made with sustainable palm oil, and it is in the process of converting 16 more lines to sustainable palm oil by June of this year.

The company says their palm oil use is less than 5% of their total oil use and they do not use palm oil for frying.

MARKS & SPENCER

Marks & Spencer told Panorama that they have reduced the use of palm oil in the company's products wherever possible over the last two years. Where possible, M&S said it singles out palm oil as an ingredient in its own-label products.

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